Waterproofing of fabric articles



Patented Apr. 28, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR GEORGE HARRINGTON, OF LONDON, ENGL ND, ASSIGNO'R OF-ON -HA F 'ro HAROLD LIONEL BRANDON, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

No Drawing.

. land, residing at London, England, have ill invented certain new'and useful Improvements in lVaterproofing of Fabric Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists of improvements in or relating to the waterproofing of fabric articles.

It is in many instances desirable to render waterproof an article which is made of woven fabric after its manufacture has been completed in other respects.

lVith certain articles of fabric, stitching during manufacture renders the article pervious to water in places, even although the original fabric were waterproofed. For example in the manufacture of motor-car hoods, the stitching of the sections may give rise to leaky places.

According to the present invention articles of woven fabric made up by stitching are waterproofed in finished form by applying a solution of paraffin wax in a volatile solvent. It is found that this renders stitching and fabric simultaneously waterproof without adversely affecting the appearance of the goods.

The inventionwill be described by way 01f example in its application to two arti- 0 es.

A motor-car hood is made up by stitching in any ordinary way, and either before or after use it is found not to be waterproof. Hard parafiin is dissolved in a volatile solvent, such as benzene or petrol, with or without materialto render the same noninflammable (such .as trichlorethylene). It is preferable that the solution should be made concentrated, or nearly concentrated at a low normal atmospheric temperature,

such as 40 F. The solution is painted on to the fabric, and the solvent evaporates,

leaving a thin coating of hard paraffin on the fibres and threads constituting the' fabric.

' In the manufacture of ornamental bathing caps, it. is desirable that the maker should be free'to use any desired materials or combination Ofmaterials, and make them up into. finished form from fabrics (not.

it WATERPROOFING O15 FABRIC ARTICLES.

Application filed December 1, 1924. Serial No. 753,338.

necessarily waterproof fabrics) chosen on account of their quality and colours. Articles thus made up are immersed in the solution of hard parafiin above referred to, and then removed from the solution, whereupon the volatile solvent evaporates and leaves possible, to apply the desired colours to fabrics which have already been rendered waterproof, and some known methods of waterproofing would impair the colours.

An article not ordinarily waterproofed, e. g. a fancy sunshade or cloak may be treated, so as to be waterproof against a sudden shower of rain. -Waterproof articles, such as awnings, or hatch coverings for ships, which have been patched with new material, can be treated at the patching, while old material which has lost its waterproof qualities through time or exposure to heat or damp, the fibres remaining good, can bere-proofed in situ by the treatment.

The preferred way of making up the solution is fiist to melt up the hard paraffin wax with a small proportion, say 0.5% by weight-of essential oil of citronella and a small proportion of a fat-soluble dye, for

example a brown dye (just sufficient to give articles of fabric or the like, and any eX-- cess solution may be drained off. The solventevaporates and leaves the article in a Waterproofed state.

It will be understood that according to this invention finished articles of woven material are treated after they have been stitched together so that 'stitching and woven material are both simultaneously In testimony whereof I have signed my rendered waterproof. name to this specification in the presence of I claim two subscribing witnesses. A composition for waterproofing fabric-s ARTHUR GEORGE HARRINGTON- 5 including hard paraffin wax dissolved in Vitnesses:

petrol to which a small proportion of tri- HUGH S. MACEAU,

chlorethylene has been added. i S. G. PEvERo. 

